1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to methods and equipment for out-of-autoclave curing of composite parts, and deals more particularly with a method and stand-alone tooling for curing relatively large parts using induction heating and smart susceptors.
2. Background
A composite part may be cured in an oven or an autoclave where heat is applied to the part while supported on a cure tool that maintains the shape of the part during the curing process. Techniques have been developed for curing composite parts without the need for an oven or autoclave, however these techniques have been limited to curing relatively small parts and/or require relatively complicated and/or expensive tooling. Out-of-autoclave curing of composite parts is made more challenging by the need for constant, evenly distributed heat over the entire area of the part being cured. Recently, curing of relatively small composite parts has been achieved using induction heating equipment employing smart susceptors that produce a maximum, constant temperature when inductively heated. For example, heating blankets using inductively heated smart susceptors have been used to cure relatively small areas of a composite rework patch applied to a structure such as an aircraft skin. Other attempts at using inductive heating to cure composite parts have been limited to smaller parts and/or involve relatively complicated tooling which may be too expensive for some applications, such as curing short-run or prototype production parts.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method and apparatus for curing composite parts out-of-autoclave that employ relatively simple and inexpensive cure tooling. There is also a need for a method and apparatus of the type mentioned above that is well suited for curing relatively large scale parts out-of-autoclave using induction heating and smart susceptors to provide precise and uniform temperature control during the curing process.